Impulse
by Apachelo
Summary: What if on that fateful day by the lake, Lily Evans had just acted on impulse? JP/LE
1. The Lake

**The Lake**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor will I ever.**

* * *

"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. " _Scourgify!"_

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him -

"Leave him ALONE!"

James and Sirius looked around. James's free hand jumped to his hair again.

It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes.

"All right, Evans?" said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, and more mature.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point, "it's the more the fact that he _exists_ , if you know what I mean…"

Many of the surrounding watchers laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and neither did Lily.

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag Potter. Leave him _alone_."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly. "Go on… Go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

Now Lily Evans had always considered herself a bright witch, much to the apparent chagrin of James Potter, who always found himself second to none but the redhead herself. Her marks were consistently at the top of their year, and if it weren't for James, it wouldn't even be close.

But she could also be impulsive. So incredibly impulsive to the point where she didn't think about the next words that came out of her mouth, when she unthinkingly yet bitingly retorted, "Fine, Potter, you insufferable prat. I'll go out with you if you promise you'll leave Severus _alone_. And I swear to Merlin I will personally kick your arse if you even _think_ about cursing him, or anyone for that matter, again."

James had stopped listening the moment Lily Evans, the love of his life, the center of his dreams, the object of his fantasies, said the words 'I'll go out with you.' At first, he thought he hadn't heard her correctly. To be truthful, he hadn't realistically expected anything short of a cold rejection from her, for all of his previous attempts usually ended that way, but this turn of events rendered him speechless and open-mouthed for a brief moment. Realizing this, he quickly closed his mouth and resumed the cool, proud face that he was normally seen with.

James smirked. "Why, Evans, it's a shame you waited until the end of term to finally agree to go out with me, although I'm sure we'll be able to rendezvous plenty this summer, if you catch my drift," he said with a wink that would have most girls in the school swooning.

But Lily was not "most girls," and if anything, she was more annoyed by his arrogance than ever, but also angry with herself for ending up in such a situation. Quickly, she assessed the reactions of the small group that had gathered under the beech tree. James's mates were trying unsuccessfully to hide their amusement with their hands, clearly entertained by the whole ordeal. James himself still wore that stupid smirk that she so desperately wished to wipe off, but Severus was the one who caught her eye. He looked furious, hurt, and confused all at once, and Lily had a hard time not feeling guilty for her rash actions that had probably just hurt him a lot. She tried to give him and understanding look, but he wouldn't meet her eye.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more Lily realized just how grand of a mistake she had made, but the damage was done. The news that Lily Evans agreed to go out with James Potter would spread like wildfire, and she wouldn't be surprised if the whole school knew by dinner.

Flipping through all of her possible options in her head and not finding an alternative, she grabbed James by the arm and half dragged, half marched him up to the castle, ignoring the wolf-whistles and low conversation breaking out amongst the students gathered outside.

Seconds later, Lily shoved them into the Entrance Hall, which was thankfully empty due to the majority of the student population enjoying their time out by the lake.

James, of course, was completely oblivious to her irritation. He couldn't get over the fact that Lily, _his_ Lily, finally came to her senses and went along with what he claimed many times was her carnal instinct.

When the two finally came to a stop near the side of the wall, he smirked and was the first one to speak. "Couldn't wait to get your hands on me, could you Evans?" he said smugly. He turned them around to where her back was to the wall and his arm was loosely around her waist.

However, Lily was not having it. Glaring at him, she slapped his arm away. "Shut it Potter, or I'll hex you. The only reason I brought you in here was to… er -" She lost her train of thought when she noticed how intently he was looking at her.

James noticed her slight hesitation and took the opening. "To what? To snog me here where anyone could walk in and see us? I must say, Evans, you're quite the exhibitionist," he said with a wry grin. Once again, he took hold of her waist but with both arms this time. He leaned forward until her back was pressed against the wall.

Unlike last time, however, Lily was unable to extract his arms from her this time. With much of his weight leaning against her and her back trapped firmly against the wall, there wasn't much she could do but glare at him defiantly. "You're absolutely ridiculous if you actually believe that. Look Potter, this is all just a huge misunderstanding. I never meant to agree to go out with you, you pompous prat. It just slipped out and I wish that you…" but she was interrupted by his chuckling. "What's so funny?"

James had broken into fits of laughter at this point, noting the very serious yet adorable look on Lily's face. Eventually, his laughter slowly subdued until an expression of great amusement sat on his face. Without thinking, he said, "Nothing, it's just that I find it hilarious that you, Lily Evans, supposedly the brightest witch in all of Hogwarts, 'accidentally' agreed to go out with me, James Potter, the most handsome bachelor to ever walk this Earth." He winked to let her know he was teasing. "You must think I was born yesterday."

Lily fought to bite back a smile. Insufferable and arrogant as he was, James was funny, but she didn't want to allow him the satisfaction of knowing that. She tried her best to scowl at him. "I'm serious, Potter. It was a terrible mistake. And would you _please_ get off of me, for Merlin's sake? You're heavy as a boulder." He was still pressed up against her and had his arms around her. It was hard to stay angry at him with his bespectacled face hovering mere inches from hers and the pleasant aroma of his cologne filling her nostrils. It also didn't help that, as much as she hated to admit, James Potter was awfully attractive.

"Are you calling me fat?" He smirked at her through his lenses. "I thought my grueling hours of Quidditch training would ensure that wouldn't be the case."

"Yes I am." She quipped back. "And why am I not surprised you didn't miss an opportunity to boast about your oh-so-difficult Quidditch regime, which I'm sure is nothing more than you tossing a few balls around."

James grinned hugely at her. "Do you not believe me, darling? I can show you the evidence." He gestured to his torso.

Lily rolled her eyes. She certainly didn't envision this happening when she dragged him into the castle. She had been preparing to give him a brief clippy explanation of the situation, then perhaps discuss how they would convince the rest of the school to zip it.

But here they were, leaned up intimately against the wall and playfully bantering with each other as if it were a regular occurrence. Grudgingly, Lily had to admit this was much more preferable to the yelling matches they usually had, but was still an odd feeling nonetheless. Realizing that she hadn't said anything in awhile, she turned her head to look James straight in the eye. That was yet another mistake. His alluring coffee-hazel eyes bored deep into her emerald green ones, imploring her to toss away everything she had worked so hard to build and lean in and just kiss him already.

As if reading her mind, he said softly, "You know you want to, Evans."

Her lip quivered as she almost gave into the temptation, but as if struck by something, Lily jolted and remembered just who she was and what she was about to do. This was James sodding _Potter_ for crying out loud. Not a few minutes ago she had called him an arrogant, bullying toerag and now here she was getting ready to snog the bloke's pants off. And although they weren't exactly close friends anymore, she still felt like she was betraying Severus for even having these feelings for James. Quickly gaining back her resolve, she was able to pry James's hands off of her waist and push him off of her. A bit too harshly, for he lost his balance and landed hard on his backside.

Lily's natural instinct was to lean over and help him up, but she needed to show him her indifference and his inability to evoke sympathy from her. Lily felt like she was doing both of them a favor in the long run, as much as it pained her to do so. Her eyes hardening, she looked down at him and said coldly, "Don't ever touch or come near me like that again, Potter, if you know what's good for you." And with that, she turned her back on him and stalked away.

James watched her retreating form in shock. No warm-blooded girl had ever managed to escape the Potter charm before. Nobody. Not only did Lily manage to escape it, but she also greatly bruised his ego as well. _My arse too_ , he thought morosely as he got up painfully. He couldn't fathom what had caused such a violent reaction from her when everything seemed to be going so swimmingly. He could still identify the smell of her lingering perfume, which only dejected him further.

With a sigh, he brushed the dust off his pants and made his way back up to his dormitory, His head buzzed with activity, and he knew he ought to have some alone time to sulk silently.

Grateful for an empty dorm room, he flopped onto his four-poster bed with a loud sigh, and just reflected in silence for a while. He thought about his friends who were probably still down by the tree, most likely guffawing at the whole situation. He thought about Snape, and for once in his life, James felt regretful for the way he attacked him for no legitimate reason this time.

But mainly he thought about Lily and how she had agreed to go out with him, even if it was a mistake like she claimed. Trying to rack his brain for the conversation they had by the beech tree, he vaguely recalled her saying something along the lines of, 'You better never curse Snape again.' Putting two and two together, he realized she must've said this as a condition right after agreeing to go out with him. Scowling, he punched his pillow. Angry at Snape for existing and angry at Lily for teasing him all day with her beautiful scent and fiery hair and tantalizing lips, he turned on his side and hoped for some shut eye.

 _Women,_ he thought just before drifting off. _She's definitely in denial._

Hundreds of feet away, the very center of James's thoughts was thinking the exact same thing, but for completely different reasons.

* * *

 **A/N: What do you guys think so far? RR's appreciated.**


	2. The Express

**The Express**

* * *

About a quarter to eleven, Platform Nine And Three-Quarters was flooded with young witches and wizards eager to board the train and return to Hogwarts for the new term. As it was, September 1st couldn't come soon enough for most of them.

Lily Evans was not one of those people. Sure, she was relieved she could finally escape her horrible sister Petunia and her even more unbearable boyfriend, but that did little to quell her uneasiness for the inevitable moment when she would have to face James Potter.

After the whole episode at the end of last term, the two had ended on a somewhat strange footing returning home for the summer. James, as per tradition, had persistently owled her. But instead of his usual flirtatious and suggestive letters propositioning her for a date, he simply asked to talk. Lily, however, knew better than to respond to these letters. Admittedly, she did feel guilty for ignoring him week after week knowing that he was desperate for any response from her, but she knew the only way she would be able to stay sane during the holiday would be to give him the cold shoulder.

Lost in her thoughts about James Potter, Lily barely registered hearing her name being called from behind her as her best friend Marlene McKinnon caught sight of her.

"Lily! Lils!"

Lily turned around and spotted Marlene pulling her trunk behind her while maneuvering through the crowd of people towards her.

"Marls!" Lily squealed. When Marlene finally reached her, they embraced each other in a warm hug. They didn't even have to ask each other how their summers were, given that they owled each other nearly everyday.

When they broke apart, Marlene spoke first, "I missed you, Lils. My summer was dreadfully boring as you already know. I would have invited you over, but you know how Mum and Dad are about having guests over."

Lily nodded. "I missed you too, Marls." She attempted a smile, but managed a weak grimace at best. "And don't worry about it. I understand."

Marlene, however, could tell right away that something was troubling her best friend. "What's wrong, Lily?" she asked gently. "And don't say nothing because I know something's bothering you."

For a moment Lily considered lying to Marlene and insist that she had been rowing with Petunia again, but that excuse could only be used so many times before becoming decrepit. Not seeing any possible way of avoiding the question, she sighed, "I know this may sound stupid, but I'm a little apprehensive about seeing Potter." Marlene raised an eyebrow. "You remember what happened at the end of last term, don't you?"

Marlene simply laughed. "Of course I remember. How could I not?" On the train ride home and many early summer letters, Lily had made it a point to all her friends that what had happened by the lake was a mistake and no, of course she didn't fancy James bloody Potter. Most of her friends seemed content with her explanation, but Marlene had teased her incessantly about it for weeks.

Lily hoped that the whole thing would blow over during the holiday and everything would return to normal, but she had an uncomfortable feeling in her gut that seeing James Potter again was going to be anything but a normal encounter. "What do you think will happen when he sees me?" she inquired nervously.

Marlene made a show of pondering her response before responding with a straight face, "I wouldn't be surprised if you two started snogging as I'm sure you've done plenty of this summer." At the end of this, she burst out laughing after seeing the expression on Lily's face. Obviously, Marlene was going to Lily a hard time about the whole "I'm not dating James Potter" thing.

Lily scowled at her supposed best friend. "Quit taking the piss, Marlene, I'm being serious."

Marlene, who was still recovering from her laughing fit, giggled, "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Lils." Quickly sobering, she said, "Honestly, if I were you I would just act like nothing's changed. Better yet, pretend he doesn't exist. I don't know, maybe it's just what I would do."

After deliberating her choices carefully, in the end Lily agreed with Marlene and decided that the best option to go about the whole thing would be to pretend that everything was normal and that nothing had happened. She still wasn't sure how she was going to reason ignoring all his letters over the summer, but she'd tackle that problem when it came.

The two friends made their way across the platform towards the Hogwarts Express, maneuvering through the crowd of people in a way only years of experience could teach. After boarding the scarlet train and handing off their luggage, they strolled down the aisle looking for their other friends's compartment.

They passed by the Slytherin boys' compartment, where Snape, Mulciber, Avery, and Nott appeared to be huddled together furtively discussing. The four boys looked up from their conversation when the two Gryffindor girls paused at their compartment door.

Lily nearly gasped when she saw the state of her former friend. Snape, who normally didn't care much for his appearance, looked worse than she had ever seen him. His hair was even greasier than usual, his face sallower than normal, and his eyes looked hollow and had bags underneath them as if he hadn't slept in days.

She snapped out of her reverie when she felt Marlene tug at her arm, urging her to keep walking. Deciding to put Snape out of her thoughts for the time being, she followed Marlene down the aisle until they reached a compartment where they found their friends Alice Prewett and Dorcas Meadowes already seated. The four friends all exchanged hugs and pleasantries before sitting back down and cheerfully discussing the past holiday.

They were interrupted when their compartment door slid open to reveal Sirius Black standing alongside James Potter. The former directed a question towards the girls. "Hey ladies, have any of you lot seen Moo -er - Remus by any chance?"

While her friends answered Sirius's question, Lily made eye contact with James for the first time in months. His hair was still as unkempt and untidy as ever which was no surprise. He appeared to be taller, but she figured it could just be an allusion from her lower stance. He definitely gained some muscle on his already lean frame, which did nothing to ease her already conflicting feelings about him. She shuddered when she remembered the way his body pressed up against hers on the wall of the Great Hall many months before, before internally berating herself to perish the thought.

Neither of them registered the fact that their friends had stopped talking and were watching them with amused interest. It wasn't until Sirius coughed noisily that they looked away from each other, both a little embarrassed.

Sirius grinned wolfishly, before asking, "Would you two like some privacy?" He looked at the other girls in the compartment pointedly, and to Lily's horror, they all grinned at each other conspiratorially before getting up and filing slowly out of the compartment. She could faintly hear Marlene chuckling under her breath. Curse her, she thought, and a few seconds later Lily was left sitting in the compartment alone with James standing at the door.

A few tense seconds passed in silence before James decided to make the first move and took the seat across from Lily. He fidgeted with his hands nervously before looking up into her eyes and questioning with a surprisingly soft voice, "Lily, can we please just talk?" A pause. "Look, I know this may not mean much to you, but it hurt when you ignored all my letters when all I was asking from you was a response." She could detect the slight pain in his voice and couldn't help but feel a little guilty for her cold treatment toward him over the summer. It had been her fault, after all, that they had ended up in that awkward situation at the end of term, even though she'd never admit that aloud.

Recalling her conversation with Marlene earlier, she remembered that this was still James Potter that she was dealing with, so she responded defensively, "I'm sorry Potter, but excuse me if I felt the need to protect myself after the little stunt you pulled off in the Great Hall last term." Lily knew she wasn't being exactly fair, but rational thinking wasn't always her forte when James Potter was involved.

James winced a little at her harsh words but remained determined to stand his ground. "Lily, you know exactly why I did that. You had just agreed to go out with me for Merlin's sake! What else do you expect a bloke to do?'

Lily felt the familiar Potter-induced reddening of her cheeks. "Oh, I don't know, Potter, maybe be a respectable person and actually respect my wishes. You know damn well I said that it was a mistake and that I had only agreed because-"

James interrupted her. "Because what? Because...what was your reason, oh yeah, because it slipped out?" Lily nodded. "That's bollocks, Lily, and you know it! How do you explain your flirting then?"

Lily was shocked at his audacity. "I was not flirting with you, you prat! You were distracting me with your - your words, by leaning against me, and...and…" She had never in her life been at such a loss for words.

"Oh, so you admit that I do have an effect on you then," James said smugly. "I mean, you did agree to go out with me, so I guess it makes sense -"

Lily stood up with a frustrated growl. She didn't hold back her next words."See Potter, this is exactly why I can't stand you! You come in here all quiet and moody and begging for sympathy when in reality you're just an arrogant and inconsiderate pain in the arse! What happened last term was a mistake, a mistake, Potter! When will you get it through your thick skull that we are not, nor will we ever, go out?"

Her last few words rang in the suddenly eerily quiet compartment. Even Lily was a little surprised at herself for being capable of such a fierce tirade.

James stared at her feet stonily, refusing to make eye contact. "Is that really what you think of me, then?" He asked hoarsely. He took the silence as an affirmative. "Well then," he said before rising to his feet and reaching for the compartment door. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Lily." And he was gone.

Lily waited for the sound of his receding footsteps to disappear completely before wobbly sitting back down. She always felt completely drained of energy whenever she feuded with James, which was quite frequent. Knowing that the dynamic of their already volatile relationship had probably just changed yet again, Lily exhaled before resting her elbows on her knees and cradled her head in her hands. She could feel tears threatening to fall but held them back in an effort to stay strong. It would do no good to let her emotions get the best of her.

She sensed more than heard the compartment door slide open and for one horrible second, she thought it was James again, but realized it was just her friends checking on her.

"Oh no, this can't be good," whispered Marlene before sliding into the seat next to Lily's vulnerable form. "Lils, are you okay? What in Merlin's beard happened? What did he do? Did he hurt you?"

Alice and Dorcas caught Marlene's last question as they sat in the seats opposite of them. They huddled closer to Lily in an effort to hear her answer.

"No, he didn't hurt me. It was more the other way around, actually," she responded quietly. That's when she looked up at them irately. "And what do you care? You lot ditched me knowing that something like this would happen." Lily pouted. "So-called friends you are."

Her friends had a hard time masking their grins, which didn't go unnoticed by Lily. Dorcas spoke up, "Sorry Lils, but it was only a matter of time before you had to face Potter again and we figured it'd be better alone in a compartment than back in school in front of everyone."

Her friends nodded in agreement and Lily knew that they were right. She wouldn't be able to avoid James for the whole school year, nor would she be able to pretend that nothing had happened.

"What exactly happened, Lily?" Alice inquired from her. Marlene and Dorcas looked at her expectantly as well.

With a sigh, she reluctantly recounted the previous events, from him questioning her, to their rowing, and finally to her little rant which caused him to depart. She conveniently left out the part where he looked hurt, but she figured that was nobody's business.

Marlene spoke first. "I think you did the right thing, Lils. I know you don't particularly enjoy disputing with Potter, but sometimes he is a right prat and should be put in his place. Don't let this get to you."

Alice and Dorcas murmured their words of agreement and encouragement, and although still a little upset at their previous abandonment, Lily felt grateful for the support from her friends. She wasn't sure how she was still sane from all this James Potter drama over the years, but she knew that her friends were a large reason why.

By the time the Hogwarts Express pulled into the platform at Hogsmeade, Lily had completely forgotten about all that had went down not hours prior. Joking and laughing with her friends had been the perfect cure, and James Potter was nowhere to be found in her thoughts.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Make sure to R &R if you did!**


	3. The Fight

**The Fight**

* * *

The chilly November wind howled outside the castle walls, daring anyone foolish enough to abandon the warm confines of Hogwarts to step outside into the frigid gusts of northern Britain. This, however, did not deter the several dozen loyal Quidditch fans willing to endure the bitter cold for a chance to witness the highly anticipated Gryffindor-Slytherin match of the season. Seated up high in the stands, they were left to the mercy of the wintry elements. Nonetheless, they eagerly awaited the introduction of their teams onto the pitch.

"Alright, lads, are you ready?" James cast a nervous glance around the locker room at his fellow teammates. Playing his first match as captain, and against Slytherin no less, he felt the pressure to perform at his best and ensure the Gryffindor team a win against a House rival. He always felt anxious before the start of a match, but he knew that once he was on his broom the freedom of flying and the support from the fans would steady his jittery nerves.

Matthew Sloper, a burly Seventh year and one of the Gryffindor beaters, grinned. He was aware of James's nervous habits considering he'd been playing Quidditch with him nearly his whole Quidditch career.. He gave James a sort of patronizing pat on the back. "Ready as ever, Cap'an."

James just scowled.

Ten minutes later, the seven Gryffindor Quidditch players flew out onto the pitch to a loud chorus of cheers from the expanse of red and gold matched by equally vocal boos from the sea of green and silver.

"And here comes Gryffindor!" announced an animated Lane Jordan. "Led by first time captain, James Potter, his team should be nothing short of superb this year! Following him are…"

While Lane announced the other six Gryffindor players, James quickly surveyed the Gryffindor stands. Immediately, he spotted Sirius decked out in red and gold jeering loudly, "Beat the dirty snakes!" James rolled his eyes at his best mate's antics. Standing to either side of Sirius were Remus and Peter, also dressed in appropriate Gryffindor fashion. A few rows further up, he caught sight of Marlene, Alice, and Dorcas sitting together and conversing quietly among each other.

James did a double take when he realized that the usual shock of red hair he routinely expected to be present during Quidditch matches wasn't there. Lily, who typically sat next to the sixth year Gryffindor girls, was absent. Up until that day, she had never missed a Gryffindor match. Not only would her friends never allow it, she knew would never hear the end of it from James. He squinted to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. She still wasn't there.

"Captains, please shake hands," he heard Madam Hooch say. Distractedly, he turned back around and shook (more like crushed) hands with Timothy Flint, the enormous Seventh year Slytherin captain.

"Ready?" With consenting nods from both captains, Madam Hooch blew her whistle and released the four balls from their cages.

"And they're off! It's Flint with the Quaffle, who passes it to Malfoy, it's back to Flint, ooh, nice behind-the-back toss to Avery who scores! Ten to nothing, Slytherin leads."

The Slytherin stands erupted in cheers. Avery flew by them and flashed a cocky smirk.

Fifteen grueling minutes later, Gryffindor was trailing Slytherin by a score of eighty to thirty. James, normally the team's most proficient scorer, had yet to connect on a single goal.

Peter turned to Sirius and Remus with something of a nervous frown on his face. "Is it just me, or does Prongs not look like himself today?" Moments after uttering those words, James received a crafty over-the-shoulder toss from Steven Abbott, who had baited the Slytherin Keeper away from the hoop.

"What a brilliant pass by Abbott that sets up Potter with a wide open lane! Potter shoots and - he MISSES!"

The Quaffle sailed wide to the right of the hoop. An audible groan rippled through the increasingly restless Gryffindor crowd. Jeers and insults rained down on James as he flew by the Slytherin stands.

"I think you may be right, Wormtail. Prongs never misses open goals. Hell, the bloke rarely misses contested goals," Remus observed anxiously. He squinted to get a better look at James. "He doesn't look injured from what I can see. Maybe… maybe his head's just not in the game."

Sirius looked at his friend incredulously. "That's absurd, Moony! Prongs is more focused about Quidditch than anything… with perhaps the exception of Evans, of course. I mean, have you seen the way he psyches himself up before matches-"

"Speaking of which, where is Evans?" Peter nudged his friends and directed their gaze behind them to the group of sixth year Gryffindor girls sans Lily.

With their attentions from the match briefly diverted, they didn't see the Slytherin beater smack a bludger in the direction of James, whose head was currently turned in the opposite direction. Loud gasps could be heard all around the pitch as the bludger collided into the back of his head with a sickening crunch. The three of them were just able to turn around and watch helplessly as their friend precariously and shakily flew to the ground before collapsing unconscious in a heap.

* * *

The soft scratch of a quill against parchment and an occasional shuffling of feet were the only sounds that disturbed the otherwise silent Hogwarts library. On Saturdays, the place was usually littered with students of all years attempting to get some homework done or, much to the disapproval of Madam Pince, a haven for couples to fool around. But with a vast number of the castle's population attending the Quidditch match outside, the library was completely void save for one student.

"There." Lily placed down her quill with a sigh of relief. She had been working on her Transfiguration essay for the better part of two hours, and she could finally say she was done with the cursed thing. One could proofread a paper only so many times before the words just started swimming together in a jumbled heap. She skimmed it one more time just for good measure.

Placing her quill and parchment back in her bag, Lily quietly stood up and exited the library. Her footsteps echoed with every step she took in the empty corridor. She didn't think she had ever seen the castle this deserted before. Beginning to feel drowsy, she figured it was a good time as ever to catch up on some sleep with all her roommates at the match. Lily quickened her pace to Gryffindor tower, eager to return to an empty dormitory and a comfortable bed where she could take a nap.

Rounding the corner leading to the stairwell, she bumped head first into someone's hard form. The pain in her head briefly disoriented her, but when her eyesight refocused, she found herself standing face-to-face with none other than Severus Snape.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything as they took in each other's presence. Lily noticed that Severus still looked as poorly as he did on the train at the beginning of term, if not worse. His hair was still as greasy as ever, the bags under his eyes were more prominent than last time, and his face had an overall unhealthy look to it. The fact that this was her first time seeing her kind-of friend in months surprised her. She tried reading his expression, and for a second she could've sworn she saw something close to wistfulness, but his face quickly morphed into a scowl as he broke the silence first. "What are you doing in the castle, Evans? Shouldn't you be at the match cheering on your boyfriend Potter?" He nearly spat out the last two words.

Lily, who had originally been hopeful they could at least discuss amicably with each other, knew immediately that was no longer possible. She also felt irritated that Severus actually believed that James Potter was her boyfriend, until she remembered that the last time they were around each other for an extended period of time, she had just agreed to go out with Potter. And if his words were any indication, they were no longer on a first name basis.

"I could ask you the same thing, Snape," she replied coolly. She hadn't said his surname in a long time, and it felt unnatural on her tongue. "And Potter is not my boyfriend. I was actually hoping to talk to you about that, but seeing as I haven't seen you all term, I haven't had a chance."

Once again, she caught a glimpse of something in his expression, but it passed just as quickly as it arrived. His face hardened. "I don't see how there's anything you could possibly want to say to me, Evans," he countered skeptically. "Unless my eyes and ears betrayed me, you all but announced to the whole school that you would be his whore. What happened to him being an arrogant toerag, huh, Evans? Did you take a look at his Gringotts vault and suddenly decide you wanted a piece of that?"

"How dare you accuse me of that," Lily responded angrily, her cool demeanor quickly evaporating. "It's not like that and you know it! And in case you didn't notice, I was trying to protect you!"

"Protect me? Protect me?" Severus laughed acerbically. "What makes you think I need your fucking protection?"

Lily flinched at the expletive but continued on heatedly, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Snape, but if I recall correctly Potter nearly killed you! Forgive me if I felt the need to look after a friend -"

"And you thought going out with the twat would help?" Severus asked, disbelief clearly written all over his face. "What do you take me for, Evans? A fool?"

Lily's face softened just a little bit. "No, Snape, I don't. At time the time it just seemed like the right thing to do and with hindsight it obviously wasn't. What I did was impulsive and stupid and I know that, but I only did it in hopes that he would quit harassing you."

This only seemed to infuriate Severus more. "That's the whole damn problem, Evans, I don't want you to fight my battles for me!" He glared at her angrily. "I'm a grown wizard, for Merlin's sake, I don't need a filthy mudblood defending me!"

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he instantly wished he had kept it shut. Lily stared at him with a look of complete shock etched on her face. Severus tried to backtrack, but the damage had already been done. "Li-Lily, I didn't mean -"

She cut him off before he could finish. "You know what, Snape? You're right." Her voice was strangely steady, contrasting with the rapid beating of her heart. "You are a wizard capable of fighting your own battles. I should have known that all along."

When he didn't respond, she set her face in a hard line before looking him straight in the eye. "I also should have known that as a mudblood, I have no place in your life."

And with that, she sharply turned away from him and briskly strided out of sight.

Severus stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds absolutely dumbfounded. When he finally registered the severity of the situation, he turned and angrily punched the side of the wall, causing his knuckles to bleed. "Dammit!" he cried out in frustration. Pissed at Potter for existing and ruining the picture and furious with Lily for being such a right bitch, he was downright livid at himself for royally fucking up another piece of his wretched life. He punched the wall again. Unfortunately, the pain in his fist did nothing to ease the agony from the growing wound in his heart.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the late update. I've been ill lately and my busy schedule is catching up to me. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. As always, R &Rs are appreciated!**


End file.
